55+ Legacy | SeibCo, LLC

“The hardest part of a project or venture is getting started. It starts with the first small step.” Jeannette Seibly

The hardest part of any new venture or project often comes after the initial excitement fades. You’re staring at the plan you created, and overwhelm begins to creep in.

You notice missing pieces.

Your inner psyche chirps, “You cannot do this.”

Your doubt screams, “What were you thinking?”

Or worse, “What will others say?”

Even if you’re not fully aware of your doubts and fears, they will sabotage your progress unless addressed in a positive, proactive way.

Here’s the truth: action creates motivation—not the other way around, despite what many of us were taught to believe. We often use a lack of motivation as an excuse to play small or avoid taking any action at all. But attempting big steps too soon will sabotage your efforts.

What’s the solution?

Take action by identifying the smallest possible step—then, do it.

Take One Small Step

Want to lose weight? Put on your walking shoes. Nothing else. Then, the next day, put them on again. Soon, you’ll be out walking! (Yes, this really works.)
Want to save money? Set aside 1% each time you receive any money. Before long, you’ll be amazed at how much you’ve accumulated.
Want that promotion? Take the smallest action possible—like buying your Get Your Brag On! book. This helps you avoid overwhelm and prevents you from missing critical details that could sabotage your efforts.

Make Sure Your Environment Is Supportive

This includes both physical and emotional spaces.

If your home office is in the basement and you dread going down there, move it somewhere you enjoy.
If your team members constantly naysay everything, it may be time for new ones. But beware: if they’re pushing back on your habit of constantly changing things, listen. That habit may be your saboteur—not them.

Celebrate Progress

Learn to complete and review daily, weekly, and monthly actions. This supports your growth.
Conduct a “What Worked? / What Didn’t Work?” review at least once a month.
Be real. Use your numbers. And don’t forget to update your brag statements!

Remember: Your new project or venture isn’t overwhelming. You simply need to take small actions, make thoughtful adjustments, and stop sabotaging yourself. Enjoy the process of creating results one step at a time. Your actions will feed your motivation to continue to move forward.

Jeannette Seibly is a legacy-driven Talent Advisor, Leadership Results Coach, and Amazon Best-Selling Business Author. For over 33 years, she has empowered thousands of executives and business leaders to achieve sustainable success through strategic hiring, values-based coaching, and intentional leadership development. Her work blends clarity, accountability, and soulful impact—activating performance and purpose at every level.

Ready to take action—but unclear about what you really, really, really want to achieve? Let’s talk.

“Are you open to hearing what’s being said? If not, you’ll lose out on many new possibilities, opportunities, and solutions.” Jeannette Seibly

Most of you would say, “Of course.”

But earlier today, when a co-worker or employee needed to talk, you played Spider Solitaire or let your thoughts wander while they spoke. Then, when they asked a question, you replied, “Could you please repeat that? I wasn’t listening.” You do that more than once.

I remember coaching a young man whose company had asked me to support his leadership growth. During the call, I suspected he wasn’t listening. I asked what he was doing.

He twitched and said, “Listening.”

“No, what are you really doing?”

He gave a sheepish grin and admitted he was watching a newsfeed on his phone.

“You do remember the purpose of these calls is to prepare you for a promotion, correct?” He nodded.

“As a leader, you need to learn how to truly listen—especially when you don’t want to hear what someone is saying.”

He asked, “Why? If they’re boring or I’ve heard it before?”

I responded, “Because in your listening, you and others can hear something new … a solution … new opportunity … new possibility. It’s how you develop your leadership—and your people. Otherwise, your legacy might be, ‘He never listened.’”

Several years ago, I was walking in the one-mile parklike setting where I live. There are usually plenty of people out with their dogs. Sometimes, they’ll even talk with you!

I recognized a dog, so I stopped to pet her. I asked the woman, “How are you doing? How’s Sadie?” She’d adopted the dog just a month earlier.

She said, “I’m good. Sadie’s doing well, too.” I smiled. Then she added, “I had been visualizing this dog. Other opportunities fell through, but I kept visualizing. Now, here she is.”

Why was this important to me? My cat had just passed away. I wasn’t sure if I wanted another. But in that moment of being open and listening, I knew I did. Later, I started visualizing. Even cut out a picture. Within a short time, I adopted Remy from the local humane shelter.

It happened because I was open to listening.

What Do You Need to Do to Improve Your Openness to Listening?

Be Curious. You don’t know it all. You never will. When you bring curiosity to your listening, you learn, grow, and develop ideas or dreams.

Ask Questions. There are books filled with conversation starters. They’re helpful. When using these ideas, these prompts can also unlock deeper thoughts you’ve been mulling over. If you don’t have a book with question starters, use your curiosity and ask open-ended questions. This is much better than gossiping—or recycling the same old ideas.

Humble Up. Your ego will try to protect you by refusing to listen. When you hear new ideas, you might feel excited… then uncomfortable… then fearful. That’s a good sign. It means the ideas are nudging you forward. Acknowledge your feelings—and keep the ideas flowing. Then, take focused action on one of them! What opened up?

Here’s another way to look at it: Wouldn’t it be better if your legacy said, “He was a great boss because he really listened,” rather than, “I hated going to work each day because he never listened to anything I said.”

Jeannette Seibly is a legacy-driven Talent Advisor, Leadership Results Coach, and Amazon Best-Selling Business Author. For over 33 years, she has empowered thousands of executives and business leaders to achieve sustainable success through strategic hiring, values-based coaching, and intentional leadership development. Her work blends clarity, accountability, and soulful impact—activating performance and purpose at every level.

Ready to elevate your openness to positively impact your next chapter? Let’s talk.

Want to Be Motivated? Take Action!

Are You Open to Listening?